Eternal Sunshine
by adonisrey
Summary: On their final semester in Yale, something big happens which forces Jess to finally tell Rory his true feelings for her. The only problem for him is that she's in a serious relationship with Logan. What does she do as the events of the story unfold? This story is told in medias res.
1. Chapter 1 - The Choice

**AUTHORS NOTE: Most of the story is still the same. The only thing I changed was the fact that Rory and Jess never dated in high school and that Jess is currently a Yale student. The characters will, from time to time, act ooc due to the fact that this story is based on real life. And for the sake of telling the narrative correctly, the characters may need to deviate from what their canon versions may be like.**

"Look Rory, I really suck at this whole boy thing alright? I mean look at my dating history. The guy I'm currently dating is more emotionally needy than I thought. We're on and off almost every other week. He can't even make rent without his bum of a roommate. And he also happens to be my former editor in chief. The last really good thing I had going for me...well I completely ruined that by sleeping with my professor who was old enough to be my well-"

"Yes Paris, I remember."

In the midst of it all, Rory called the one person she knew could give her an answer straight up. They met up at the pub, Rich Man's Shoe because although Rory was not an avid drinker, tonight she really felt like she needed one.

"Anyway. I'm really the last person you should be talking to about this."

"Yeah but...I need some practical advice about this. You're the only one I trust with this. I don't know what to do."

"Practical advice huh?"

"Please."

"Wait. I need another beer. Excuse me miss?" Paris called out to the bartender.

It was a Saturday night and the pub was packed with students celebrating their last week of the semester. The place was alive with the sounds of students' cheering and of their drunken laughter.

"Excuse me!" Paris exclaimed. None of the bartenders could really hear her over the noise. "Jesus, whose ass do I have to kiss to get a drink around here?"

"Can I help you?" A bartender finally replied.

"Yes you can. 2 more Stellas if you can please, and quickly."

"I'll just check around back."

"Well, we'll just be here and if you could be back before we grew beards or something, that would be really great." Paris snidely remarked.

"Paris! Don't be so rude. She's just doing her job."

"It would help if she did it better."

"The place is packed Paris. If you haven't noticed people around here are celebrating. I mean, look at them. They're so happy."

Rory looked around at her fellow students laughing, celebrating and just having a good time.

"I was never one for irony." Rory said.

"Oh. Well did you want to go somewhere else? Somewhere where people are…I dunno. Less happy? Or more emotional? We could go to a poetry reading."

"God no." Rory giggled. "I can't take anymore drama. And well, I guess with how terrible I feel I just need to be surrounded by…people like this."

"Alright. Well, look I know how badly things turned out for you and Dean. The last time you followed your heart, you ruined a marriage."

"Thanks."

"Seriously. You were a mess that time and I get it. I get that back then he was your first and only boyfriend and when he left you for Lindsey-"

"Do you have a point in all this?"

"My point is-"

"Here are your two beers." The bartender interrupted.

"Thank you." Rory said. "Anyway, your point is?"

"Logan."

"Why?"

"Because he buys you coffee stands in the morning. He gives you Birkin bags that haven't even been sold to the public yet. His dad is CEO of a freakin newspaper. He could literally publish a feature article that's just about his love for you."

"Well, he's obviously not going to do that."

"But do you get what I mean." Paris asked seriously.

"So it's about the money? Like Logan could buy the entire Yale University but Jess needs a scholarship to stay in it?"

"It's not about the money. Logan...he can give you everything you want. Material or otherwise."

"And Jess can't?"

"I don't know that he can't. But Logan, without a doubt, he can and he will. And he loves you. And you love him."

"I do." Rory quietly remarked.

"And you know what it's like to be with him. You know that he's a good boyfriend. Well, okay not the best but he's good to you. I'm just saying, don't ruin your relationship with Logan for something you're not certain about. You two have a good thing going. Please just don't Eddie Fisher this."

"Huh? Ooohhh because he broke up with Debbie for Elizabeth and it failed anyway!"

"Yeah. So, stick with Debbie."

"That sounds wrong."

"You know what I mean. That's just my two cents on it but it is ultimately your choice. This time, follow your heart with your head, alright?"

"Yeah." Rory wistfully smiled at Paris. "Alright."


	2. Chapter 2 - Kismet

**AUTHORS NOTE: Most of the background story is still the same. The only thing I changed was the fact that Rory and Jess never dated in high school and that Jess is currently a Yale student. The characters will, from time to time, act ooc due to the fact that this story is based on real life. And for the sake of telling the narrative correctly, the characters may need to deviate from what their canon versions may be like. AND YES that cellphone thing did REALLY happen.**

 **(SOPHOMORE YEAR, FIRST SEMESTER 2013)**

Their first meeting was a little bizarre to say the least. It was, well Kismet.

Being an English major is harder than most people would give credit for especially when you're in Yale and especially when you have a 7:30 am creative writing class. Rory was barely awake Mr. Lee was explaining the syllabus and their assignments for the rest of the semester. She was struggling to keep her eyes when he walked in.

"Hi is this seat taken?" he asked pointing to the computer terminal behind Rory.

"Uhm I don't think so." she replied.

He sat down behind her and Mr. Lee approached their area.

"Good morning." Mr. Lee greeted.

"Good morning sir."

"Here's the syllabus...and uhm what's your name?"

"Jess. Jess Mariano."

"Alright Jess. Please read this syllabus on your own time and start working on the assignment for today- a short essay entitled "Why I Decided to Become an English Major. Keep it short, keep it simple. 300 words by the end of this period."

"Okay sir."

"Get started then. Oh and Jess?"

"Yes sir?"

"Please don't be late to my class again."

"No sir."

"Thank you."

Rory was nothing short of an amazing writer. The first assignment was a breeze for her. She finished the assignment 10 minutes before the class had ended and decided to start using the Internet. She was so engrossed with one of the articles she was reading online that she didn't notice when Paris' cellphone started ringing in her jacket.

"Guys whose cellphone is that?" Mr. Lee asked the class.

Jess checked his own cellphone, out of paranoia to make sure that it wasn't his. He started to follow the sound of the cellphone and figured it was Rory's.

"Uhm hey." Jess tapped her shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"I think the cellphone that's ringing is yours."

"Oh. Oh yeah." Rory took the cellphone out of her jacket and turned it off.

"How come you didn't know it was yours?" Jess asked.

"Well I was rushing out of the dorm this morning. I grabbed my friend's jacket instead of my own. It's her cellphone. I didn't recognize the ringtone."

"You didn't feel it either?" He asked.

"It's not on vibrate."

"Ohhh." Jess chuckled. "Hey, I'm Je-"

"Jess. Jess Mariano. Yeah, I kinda overheard."

"Ah."

"Hi. I'm Rory. Rory Gilmore. And uh thanks for the cellphone thing."

"Yeah, sure no problem."

"I feel so stupid about it." Rory laughed.

"Nah don't worry about it. I mean, 7:30 am class? No one's really awake at that time. I know I wasn't."

"Mmmm thus the lateness."

"Thus the lateness."

Rory just smiled back at Jess and went back to surfing the Internet 'till the bell rang.

Jess was rather amused at the situation. That first encounter was strange but in spite of it all, Jess took an instant liking to Rory. There was something about her that made him know immediately that their encounter was the beginning of something beautiful. And indeed it was.


	3. Chapter 3 - Tornadoes

**AUTHORS NOTE: Most of the background story is still the same. The only thing I changed was the fact that Rory and Jess never dated in high school and that Jess is currently a Yale student. The characters will, from time to time, act ooc due to the fact that this story is BASED ON REAL LIFE. And for the sake of telling the narrative correctly, the characters may need to deviate from what their canon versions may be like.**

 **(SOPHOMORE YEAR, FIRST SEMESTER 2013)**

Rory arrived 5 minutes early to her general Psychology class. She was always one for punctuality but she was particularly excited about this elective class she had chosen. General Psychology was a high-demand course and she was lucky enough to snag one of the 35 slots.

Rory grabbed a seat near the front of the class and as the students filed in, someone familiar walked by her.

"Hey, cellphone girl." He said.

"Yes, that is how I would like to be called from now on. It's catchy."

"Sure is. It's uh Rory, right?"

"Yup. And you're Jess. I'm surprised to see you in class 3 minutes before it starts."

"Yeah well, I'm excited for this class. And the schedule's much better. Like thank God it's at 9:30 and not 7:30. Anyway, is this seat taken?" He asked pointing to the seat right next to her.

"It is now." She smiled as she removed her bag from the chair.

"Thanks." He smiled back.

A moment later, a young, thin, dark-skinned man walked into the room.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm Mr. Castillo and I'll be your general psychology for the rest of the semester. So I will distribute the course syllabus which I expect you to read in your own time. But for now, I will discuss some of the major projects that you guys will be doing."

Mr. Castillo set up his laptop and on the projector he flashed the overview of their projects.

"So" he continued "for the Development Across the Lifespan chapter, you will be having a baby egg project. This will be by pair. You can be a boy/girl, girl/girl, boy/boy, pair. It doesn't matter to me but since you guys are 35, there will be a single parent. You guys can decide on that at a later time."

Jess and Rory looked at each other before Jess spoke.

"Do you know anyone else in this class?" He whispered.

"Not really, no." She whispered back.

"Do you want to be paired for the egg baby thing? I mean it's okay if you don't."

"Yeah sure, we should lock it down to make sure neither of us ends up being a single parent." She grinned.

"For the Theories of Personality chapter, you guys will be taking legitimate personality tests like MBTI, NEO PI-R, the 16PF. None of that buzzfeed bullshit." Mr. Castillo joked. "It is honestly such a joke to the name of Psychology. And I hope that by the end of the semester, you can determine what is Psychological fact and what is just bullshit. Anyway, for the Social Psychology chapter, you guys will have to pair up again to complete a list of tasks that I will reveal when we get to that chapter."

Rory looked at Jess and pointed to him and then to herself as she mouthed "you and me again?" Jess nodded and they looked back at Mr. Castillo.

After class, the students slowly started to leave the classroom. As Rory was slowly packing her bag, Jess turned to her and hesitated a moment.

"Hey Rory. I was just wondering if you had any class right now. Or maybe any plans?"

"No, why? You wanna grab something to eat?"

"Yeah, you know if we're gonna be paired off for the rest of the sem, we might as well get to know each other right?"

"Right. Right."

If he was being honest with himself, Jess wanted to get to know Rory because from the moment he met her, he was instantly attracted to her. He found her beautiful and mysterious. And more than anything, he wanted to get closer to her. But little did he know, it wouldn't be so easy for him. She was a tornado that he was willing to be swept away by.

Jess and Rory sat across from each other at the cafeteria. And over the next two hours, they talked about things they liked and things they had in common. As it turns out, they weren't all that different from each other.

"Are you going too?" Rory asked.

"Absolutely! I bought those tickets the moment I found out they were coming to town."

"My god same, same, same! What seats did you get?"

"Silver. I absolutely love the Killers but Gold and Platinum are way too expensive for me."

"Ohhh alright. I see."

"What seats did you get?"

"Uhm—" Rory blushed out of embarrassment. "I mean my grandparents got the tickets for me for my birthday."

"Ah I see. Platinum VIP right?"

"No, but Gold."

"Ooohh rich kid." Jess joked.

"Hey, we should go together." Rory tried to change the topic.

"Sure, I'm game." Jess excitedly sat up in his chair.

All of a sudden, the Killers concert couldn't come soon enough. He counted mentally counted the weeks til the concert—it was 6. And just as soon as they had sat down, the bell rang. Rory stood up and Jess looked up at her half hoping she would sit back down.

"Sorry, I gotta run. I have a class in 10 minutes."

"Oh yeah? What's the class?"

"East Asian Languages. Uh Modern Chinese."

"Huh interesting."

"Yeah, I like to keep it that way."

"Well then, zai jian. Or bye. But I don't know if I said that right."

"Ha. Same, actually. I guess I'll find out. Bye Jess, I'll see you around."

She turned and walked away from him as he just stared on.


	4. Chapter 4 - Kodak Moments

**AUTHORS NOTE: Most of the background story is still the same. The only thing I changed was the fact that Rory and Jess never dated in high school and that Jess is currently a Yale student. The characters will, from time to time, act ooc due to the fact that this story is BASED ON REAL LIFE. And for the sake of telling the narrative correctly, the characters may need to deviate from what their canon versions may be like. YES the egg baby project really exists.**

 **(SOPHOMORE YEAR, FIRST SEMESTER 2013)**

Fall had come full swing in October and by this time Jess and Rory had gotten to become good friends. They had 2 classes together and were currently partners for their egg baby project in their general psychology class. Taking care of the egg baby took up a lot of time and effort. And the more time they spent together, the more Jess liked Rory. He never admitted his feelings to her because he had never felt this way before and he was scared—scared to ruin their friendship. He figured that it would be better to have her as a friend than to not have her at all.

On a cold October night, one week before the Killers concert, Jess and Rory had been preparing a creative scrapbook for their egg baby in her dorm room.

"So, how do we do this? Should we have a family picture together?" Rory asked.

"I'm down."

"Alright. So let's sit on the couch. And then who should be holding baby Jake?"

"When did we name the baby Jake?" Jess asked, surprised.

"Right now."

"I mean, do I have a say in it? Why is it a boy? What if I wanted a baby girl? A little princess." He smiled."

"Cute. But I mean I carried the baby for nine months, I think I should decide on the gender."

"That's not really how that works, you know that right?"

"Right. So I think you should hold baby Jake."

Jess laughed and relented to her. He didn't really care about the gender or the name of the baby. He was just happy to be hers, even if only for a project.

Jess sat down on the couch as Rory set up her phone on a selfie stick.

"God, why do you have one of those? I never pegged you for the selfie girl." Jess asked.

"Shhh. I'm not. Now, let's take the family picture."

Rory sat down next to Jess who was holding the egg baby in both his hands.

"Hmm maybe put your arm around my shoulder."

Jess hesitated for a moment and then put his left around Rory's shoulder. He held up their egg baby with his right hand and then smiled at the camera. In that moment, he was genuinely happy just being next to her. A moment later, Paris storms into the dorm.

"Aw how sweet. Kodak moment right there." Paris jokes.

"Given that that is indeed the point, I guess I'll have to thank you." Rory retorted. "Anyway, are you guys hungry? It's a little past dinner time but I can run out to get us something to eat."

"I should probably head out." Jess said, half-heartedly.

"No, it's okay. You should stay. And we can continue the rest of this scrapbook after eating."

"I mean, if that's alright with the both of you." He said looking at Paris.

"Yeah, sure you should stay." Paris replied.

"Alright. So, does anyone have any objections to Thai food?" Rory asked.

"Actually I—"

"Cool so Pad Thai for everyone!" Rory said cutting off Paris.

Jess watched as Rory quickly left the room. And Paris looked knowingly at Jess.

"I see the way you look at her, you know?" She said.

"I—I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't. Jess, look we're not best friends or anything like that—"

"Well, that's a shame. I guess it's time for me to stop braiding our matching BFF bracelets."

"Hilarious. But let's be real for a moment Mariano. If you asked me, I'd say you were butt crazy for this girl."

"Well it's a good thing no one's asking you."

"Jess, let's stop with the snide remarks. I'm trying to help you. Rory… she's a great girl. She's smart, funny, caring, beautiful."

"Alright."

"My point is that she's a catch. She's not going to be single for much longer. You're an idiot if you don't do something about it. Like now."

"Paris. I appreciate your concern, I do. But let's say, hypothetically, I do have feelings for her, I… I don't know how she feels."

"I don't know anything in this department and to be honest I'm probably the last person who should be doling out advice in this area. But you're a goddamn fool if you don't say anything."

Did Paris have a point? Jess wondered about that and thought of the pros and cons of making a move. Was he willing to risk it all? And how much did they really know each other to begin with? Maybe they should become really close friends first, he thought.

Not too long later, Rory came back holding takeout food from a nearby Thai restaurant. During dinner, they had friendly chatter but Jess couldn't help but wonder what his next move should be. The Killers concert would be in a week and he decided that if he was going to do anything, the concert would be the perfect time to do it. And Jess had an idea.

"Hey, Rory this might sound like a weird idea but what if we bring our egg baby—"

"Jake."

"Right. What if we bring Jake with us to the concert?"

"That might be kinda difficult don't you think? Like we're just gonna be walking around holding an egg—holding Jake?"

"Well we could put it, uh—him, we could put him in some sort of Tupperware? And I'll be coming from class anyway so I could carry him in my backpack. Then maybe after, we could grab some dinner? Like you know as a family?"

"Sounds cool." Paris said, smiling at Jess.

It was a bit of a reach for Jess but something inside him told him that he should just go for it. Informal or not, at least he could lock down the whole evening with Rory.

"Uhm yeah sure why not? I mean if you're game to carry him around and everything. And just make sure you won't squish him. What container are you gonna use? And you should stuff it with newspapers and cotton."

"See, don't you think we make a great team? You, a regular overprotective mother. And me, a capricious but totally cool dad. We complement each other well I think."

"Ha, sure if you say so." Rory smirked.

After dinner, Jess and Rory continued their scrapbook for their egg baby project. At around a quarter to midnight, Rory had dozed off on the couch. Jess stood up and put a blanket over her. He packed his stuff, cleaned up, and quietly left her dorm. As he walked over to his own dorm, he couldn't help but smile at the prospect of a brighter future for the both of them.


End file.
